and my life takes a turn in yet another direction . . .

we’ve been loosely planning it,
we’ve been looking forward to it.
now it’s actually H.E.R.E.
 
 

my family and i become global nomads in one month.

change can be exhilarating.
yet scary at the same time.

as we embrace new possibilities
that come from positive change,
we are often forced to let go
of things that are recognizable to us.
situations, places, belongings, people.

and that can bring up all kinds
of conflicting emotions.

she just wanted to feel something more.
was this how everyone else reacted to their worlds?

like the man quickly typing on his laptop,
allowing his coffee to grow cold.
what was he writing?
was it meaningful to him?
did it complete him, fulfill his life?

recovering from an eating disorder can be a long and lonely road.
there may no longer be physical symptoms exhibited.
but there may still be emotional barriers that interfere with healing.
many are surprisingly universal.
others are uniquely individual.

today i’d like to address three common roadblocks that i have witnessed:

1. the search for a new sense of self
2. the grief that accompanies the loss of the eating disorder
3. the tolerance necessary to bear difficult feelings

 
search
often an eating disorder can make its sufferer feel special.

WAVE.

 
my word for 2013.
 
 

 
 
to bend or sway to and fro.
to be moved, especially in opposite directions.
 
just like a wave,
my life ebbs and flows.
 
in january, i committed to hopping on my wave and embracing it.